Lunar's Bridge/ Hewn City
Lunar's Bridge
Nesta had her arms around Cassian's neck, one hand on his shoulder and the other holding his tied but still long hair, so it wouldn’t be going right on her face.
As they got closer to the palace she was able to see ruins of a large bridge, she stared at it while rubbing the tip of her finger at the scales on his armor.
“Those ruins used to be a fine bridge that searched the sky, until the Moon, as the legends say.” Cassian said looking ahead, tightening the grip around Nesta.
“And it have been destroyed several centuries before you were born.” She leaned her chin at the space between his shoulder and neck, saying as if sensing his doubt through the bond: “I read about it years ago.”
“On your trip to the Day Court?” he asked landing, but kept holding her as his feet got in the Moon Palace's veranda floor.
“Before it.” She removed her arms from his neck, putting away her face from his skin to stare right into his eyes. “Let’s come in, you need to sleep for at least a couple minutes.” Nesta rubbed a finger on his cheekbone before putting her feet on the floor.
Cassian held her hand, “I will, after you eat something.” He dropped a light kiss on her face as they started to step towards the door.
oOo
“Why did you asked them to serve so much food?” Nesta said walking through the dinner room, the place was decorated in light gray tones, no curtains at the windows, which leaded the place to be well lit and airy. At the center, a large white table and regular white chairs, Nesta sat in a random chair, Cassian followed her, sitting at her side.
“It is almost lunch time.” He said trying to accommodate his wings at the chair, grinning at Nesta as she rolled her eyes.
“It is 10 at morning.” She took a bread, cutted in half, then buttered in one and putted strawberry jam in the other.
“I will call it ‘the first lunch' then.” He poured a few bacon pieces on her plate, then two pretzels, three croissants and a piece of lemon cake, doing the same on his own as he finished hers.
“Do you know that I won’t be able to finish it, right?” she said before taking a bite in the bread with butter.
Cassian didn’t answered, putted a lemon muffin close to her plate before taking a coffee pot and pouring the drink on his mug.
“No coffee for you now.” Nesta took his mug and placed on her opposite side, taking her mug and pouring tea, “You need to sleep.” She putted her mug were his was.
“I am not that bad.” He said while chewing a piece of cake.
“Looks like you got punched in both eyes.” She took a piece of bacon with the fork,
“Also, you can’t be exhausted in a moment like this.” She took a bite, chewed and swallowed before asking, “Why are you avoiding to sleep?”
Cassian left his fork in the plate, took a slip from the tea, resting both arms in the table, “I have been dreaming about him.” He pressed his lips in a thin line, “Those are good dreams, until the moment we have to let our baby go.” His voice was low, blinking slowly as Nesta held his hand, rubbing the thumb on his skin.
“I have been dreaming the same.” Through the bond, they would accidentally share dreams in a few times, it used to be rare before their bond had been accepted, and became a little more frequent after. “I feel happy to be able to see him again, hold him again, through the dream, even if it is just for a few minutes or seconds.” She squeezed his hand, “About the part we have to let him go, what comforts me is the fact that is he is alive, healthy, even if he is not with us, he is alive.”
The male lowed his gaze, “Rhys didn’t find them.”
“He is alive.” She tighten the grip on his hand, “I know this. They all are alive.”
“Do you know through your powers?” he asked, her deadly white light had been affected as the regular powers she has, but she still could feel the death, life, sensing when the former was close…
A nod from her, “Yes.” She straightened her spine, “I am sure about it.”
oOoOo
Hewn City
“I will be back late at night.” Azriel said standing on his feet, looking at Elain who was still eating the lunch, “Probably after the Starfall.” He touched her shoulder, “Don’t wait for me to see it.” He cupper her face with both hands, dropping a light kiss on her face.
“Eat the dinner before coming back.” She said after swallowing her food.
His lips curved upwards, “Yes, lady.” He kissed her face again, before walking out the dinner room.
The brown eyed female finished her lunch after a few minutes, walked to her room where she saw the book Lucien had recommended her, she took it, opened, then sat on her bed and started to read. She read during all the day, when finished, she looked around, to the window with no glass, the sky was becoming darker, the evening has started.
Elain left the book on her desk, got out of the room, wrapping her arms around herself as she walked through the corridors, everyone was at the Moon Palace, except for Lucien.
She whirled to the path that leaded to his room, making slower steps as she got closer, his heart sound becoming louder, the female knocked the door, which got opened in a second.
“Hi,” he smiled, voice soft, “You –”
“I finished the book.” the corner of her lips curved in a light smile.
Lucien opened the door wider, as if inviting her to enter in if she wished, “Did you like it?” he asked shyly, dragged a hand through his red hair.
“Yes.” her smile grew as she started to talk, his as well. They both sat in the foot of his impeccable tidy bed, chatted for awhile, realizing how much time had passed when Elain looked to the window, “The Starfall will start.” She said looking at the dark sky, Lucien turned his gaze to where she looked at, “Have you seen it when you used to live in Velaris?”
Her sentence bought him thoughts, doubts he had, suspicious, a subject about things he needed to bring up, but something was preventing him to say a word about it.
“What is wrong?” she asked as his amusement faded.
He blinked slowly, as if coming back to the reality, his eyes fell to her hand, which held his wrist in a gentle grip, Lucien shook his head, couldn’t find the right words at the moment.
“Would you like to see it with me?” she asked, rubbing her thumb on his skin.
“Yes,” he said suddenly, “Please, I would love it.” His face slightly blushed.
Elain stood up, tighten the grip on his wrist, pulling him to get up, “Let’s go to the veranda, the view is better in there.” She said already giving quick steps through the corridor, opening the door that leaded to the veranda.
As they walked in, Elain released Lucien's wrist, stalked to the rail, where she rested both hands, the male followed her, also placing his hands on the rail.
The sky was totally black, calm, until the first star crossed the sky, then another, and another, then a entire brigade came. Lucien watched in silence, his golden eye saw the stars painted in the red cloud, but his russet one could see the different colors on them.
His gaze followed a single star, a bigger than the others, which danced crossing the sky, until he wasn’t able to see it anymore. In a certain moment he felt something tinkling slamming on his left hand, the one close to Elain's. He turned his face to it, a shooting star had fallen on the rail right between their hands, his was half covered in a glittering pale blue dust, mirroring to Elain's.
“Watch it.” she let it escape as a whisper, grabbed Lucien's upper arm, pulling him closer to her, his gaze ran to where she looked at, to the wall, it had been hit by a spirit star, by the height of it, it would have come right on his face.
The red haired male looked right on her eyes, he was going to thank her when a instinct called him to look at their right, he pulled her down while lowering himself, it happened so fast that they both fell on their knees.
“By the Cauldron.” He said looking at the wall and the opened door, a shooting star extremely big had left the silver glittering dust by all the length of the wall and also entered inside the Palace, it would have hit they both, but Elain would have get most part of it. The instinct to protect the mate… he imagined that it might have been what alerted Elain to pull him first.
“Thank you.” She smiled, her eyes fell on his hand holding her right elbow, and hers holding his lower arm, the tip of her finger brushing on his biceps, that wasn’t big as Cassian's or Azriel, but almost similar to Rhysand's, just a little smaller, Lucien's training valued more the speed and agility than brute strength.
“You saved me first, I am the one who should be thanking you.” He smiled at her, she returned the gesture, then slightly squeezed the grip on his arm.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, until more shooting stars slammed into the rail, which made them become covered in several colors of glittering dust.
“Let’s get inside.” Elain said as more spirits fell.
Lucien grabbed her hand, they both got on their feet and steeped fast towards the door, which did not stopped a few stars to come right on them, as they got inside, he closed the glass door right behind him.
“I think we are cursed.” He said humorously looking through the dusty glass.
“Cassian said once that when a spirit falls on you, it is a blessing” she said looking at her dress covered in dust
“Wait, those are spirits?” he tried to hide his incredulous and surprised face.
“Yes. But I am not sure if he said it as a joke or if he was serious.” She rubbed pf the dust on her arms, “A spirit had slammed right on Nesta's new dress and a second on her hair, he was laughing in the top of his lungs when he said that, but then a spirit can right on his face.” Her gaze ran to Lucien’s face.
“We are covered with spirits.” His eyes were wide, Elain just nodded, “How do I– How do I get this away from me?” he seemed a little anxious.
Elain blinked in understanding on his feeling, she could felt what he felt, she tried her best to try to pass him a little of her calm, or at least show him there was no need to be nervous.
“Just…” she rubbed off a part of his upper right arm, on formal dark gray jacket, where a considerable amount of orange glittering dust laid. “See?” Elain said as the dust fell in the floor.
“Shouldn’t we do something more?” he asked as she rubbed off the dust on his lower arm.
“Those spirits choose to fall on us.” She gently squeezed his arm as he looked at her,
“The one which slammed on your hair for example, matches with the color.” She took a small lock of his loose hair, rubbing it between her fingers, then showing him the red glittering dust.
Lucien let scape a low chuckle in relief as he saw her fingers, then touched his own hair, Elain could feel his anxiety fading away.
“There is pink and gold on yours.” He said low, then stared at the female taking her loose hair with both hands and shaking it hard, as the dust fell, it remembered him a waterfall.
“Is it better?” she asked.
Lucien lifted his brows, pressing his lips to hid a shy smile, “There is still a lot and you are still covered, but yes it is better.” He lowed his gaze to himself, then rubbed off the dust on his clothes, he knew that Elain was doing the same as a second cloud of glittering dust formed at his side, soon he took his hair and shook it, when finished he looked at Elain, “Am I better?” he asked shyly.
Her eyes surveyed his face, she had a light smile until her gaze fell on his eyes, “Wait,” her face was serious, she made a step closer to him, cupping his face on her hands, he didn’t hesitate from her touch “Don’t move, there is dusk on your eye.”
“Which one –” he felt a terrible itchy on the eye socket of his golden eye, the russet one had a little, it was like her words had triggered the itching scratch. “Oh, Mother.” He let scape it as a breathe as he instantly closed his golden one, placing a hand on his scar, “I need to wash my face, excuse me, lady.” He said fast, without thinking, already stepping towards the corridor.
“Don’t rub your eyes, it might hurt you.” She said following him, which left a path of glittering dust from both of them in the floor.
Lucien walked to his room, passing through it, going right the bathroom, where he washed his hands and face, while washing with water his russet eye he felt gentle hands tying his hair in the nape. As the male straighten the spine, Elain was out of the bathroom, then he removed his golden eye, washed the dust on it, he was going to look inside his eye socket by the mirror, but he hears footsteps.
He lowed his eyelid then turned his head to the door, where Elain was holding a clean white towel in both hands, she tilted her head to the fabric as if suggesting him to put the golden eye in there, as he did, she whipped it then putted it in a second dry towel she had left on his bed.
The red haired washed his empty eye socket as best as he could, when finished, he straighten the spine to look at the mirror, but Elain was right on his side.
“Let me see it.” She said looking at the hand he used to cover where the golden eye was.
He noticed she had washed from the hands to the elbows in both arms, as hers had no glittering, “There is no need.” He said low, almost a whisper.
The brown eyed female didn’t need the bond sending her his feeling as she saw who blushed his face became, “You don’t have to be ashamed.” She said soft, calm.
He removed his hand from his face, “It is just– Not something pretty…” his lips pressed in a thin line, he felt his face warmer than the rest of his body.
“There is no problem on it.” She cupped his face with both hands, bringing him closer to her, she used a thumb to lift his eyelid, noticing that right were his scar passed there were eyelashes missing. She looked to the empty eye socket, while doing it she wasn’t sure if he was breathing, had the curiosity to know how he got this scar, why he had a eye missing, who had hurted him, a sparkle of rage crossed on her mind at this thought, “There are a few glittering grains on you yet.” she said, his heart was a thunderous beat, he was still as if he had gotten frozen, then blinked, which seemed to make him come back to the reality.
Lucien's cheeks were red, almost red as his hair, he turned his body to the sink, opened it, then washed his eye socket once more. He didn’t had time to whip the water on him as he barely closed the sink and Elain already took his face closer to her.
She carefully looked at his eye socket, this time using the right thumb to hold down his lower eyelid, and the left one to lift the upper, “It is clean now.” She said already turning her gaze to the towel close to the sink, which had a few grains of red dust, “Use the towel I brought.” Elain released his face, walking to his bed where she had left the towel she used to whip the golden eye, “Here.” She took the towel and gave it to him, Lucien whipped his face and hands.
“Thank you.” He said holding the towel tight on his hands, his gaze ran to his golden eye, laid in the second towel on his bed, “I will…” he used the index finger to point to the golden object, then at his face.
“Right, I will clean myself, then dinner, then sleep.” She said holding her own hands, “Good night.”
“Good night.” He said as she walked towards the door, Elain smiled at him before closing it.